in Illinois

Fiscal Budgets Illinois state budget and finances Tax policy in Illinois Finance Financial regulation in Illinois Pensions Public pensions in Illinois Pension health in Illinois Civil liberties Affirmative action in Illinois Campaign finance requirements in Illinois Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures Nonprofit regulation in Illinois Education Charter schools in Illinois Higher education in Illinois Public education in Illinois School choice in Illinois Elections Ballot access Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Illinois Ballot access requirements for political parties in Illinois Political parties in Illinois Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Illinois Redistricting in Illinois Voting in Illinois Energy and Environment Energy policy in Illinois Fracking in Illinois Oil and gas extraction on federal land in Illinois Endangered species in Illinois Environmental policy in Illinois Healthcare Healthcare policy in Illinois Medicaid spending in Illinois Effect of the Affordable Care Act in Illinois Immigration Immigration in Illinois

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K-12 education in Illinois

Education facts

State superintendent: Carmen Ayala

Number of students: 2,072,880

Number of teachers: 135,701

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:15

Number of school districts: 879

Number of schools: 4,266

Graduation rate: 83.2%

Per-pupil spending: $12,288

See also

Illinois State Board of Education • List of school districts in Illinois • Illinois • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Illinois Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Illinois public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Illinois had 2,072,880 students enrolled in a total of 4,266 schools in 1,070 school districts. There were 135,701 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 278 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Illinois spent $12,288 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 14th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 83.2 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The Illinois State Board of Education adopted these standards on June 24, 2010, and fully implemented them during the 2013-2014 school year.^[4][5]

In October 2014 Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett criticized the timeline for implementation of Common Core-aligned examinations in Illinois. The examinations, which were developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), were first implemented during the 2013-2014 school year as a pilot program. Byrd-Bennett called for another year of pilot program status for the tests, but acknowledged that the state administration had already rejected her requests for a delay. This development did not revoke the "fully implemented" status of the Common Core standards.^[6]

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Illinois compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil, and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. At $12,288, Illinois had the highest spending per pupil among its neighboring states.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Schools by type

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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Illinois and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[7]

In Illinois, there were 3,978 regular schools as of 2013. Alternative schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 148 schools classified as such.

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Illinois as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[8]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In Illinois, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 1,046,882, which was about 51 percent of the student population in the state. There were 500,426 Hispanic students in Illinois, which accounted for about 24.1 percent of the student population.

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[9]

A plurality of students in Illinois attended suburban schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 79 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 21 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Academic performance

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin), Illinois had a smaller percentage of fourth grade students score at or above proficient in math and reading.^[10]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Illinois and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[10][11][12]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[13]

Illinois schools reported a graduation rate of 83.2 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, lowest among its neighboring states.

In Illinois, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 20.6.

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Illinois was lower than the national average at 2.9 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[14]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Illinois

As of June 2015, School choice options in Illinois included charter schools, education tax credits, homeschooling, online learning, private schools, and mandatory intra-district public school open enrollment.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[15]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[16]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Illinois is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Illinois state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[17][18]

Illinois spent approximately 13.3 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. As a percent of its total budget, Illinois spent less on public education than any of its neighboring states. It should be noted that this does not mean it spent less money on education than its neighbors.

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[18]

In Illinois, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding, at $16.7 billion. Illinois reported higher public school revenue than any of its neighboring states during fiscal year 2013.

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[19]

Public education expenditures in Illinois totaled approximately $28.2 billion in fiscal year 2012. This was significantly higher than any of its neighboring states.

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Illinois, the average salary decreased by 6.9 percent.^[21]

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Illinois State Board of Education

The Illinois State Board of Education is in charge of setting educational policies for public and private schools, grades kindergarten through 12th, as well as vocational schools, in Illinois. The board analyzes the needs of students and schools in order to recommend legislation to both the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor of Illinois. Dr. Tony Smith was appointed as Illinois Superintendent of Education in 2015.^[22][23]

The Illinois State Board of Education consists of nine members. The members are appointed by the governor and approved by the Illinois State Senate. They serve four-year terms and may serve a total of two consecutive terms.^[22]

The mission statement of the Illinois State Board of Education reads as follows:^[24]

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Illinois ranked eighth overall for union power and influence, or "strongest", which was in the first tier of five.^[26]

Illinois has three major school unions: the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the Illinois School Boards Association.

Issues

• In reaction to state budget conversations, the Illinois Education Association said on July 17, 2009, that they were not content with Illinois House of Representatives members' preference to make cuts and borrow necessary funds. Illinois Education Association union president Ken Swanson said that the organization favored raising taxes to not only reduce the state's debt but to also continue to provide services.
• On July 13, 2009, a variety of organizations, including the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, released a statement in support of HB 174, a measure in support of "increasing the state income tax while reducing local property taxes." HB 174 passed the Illinois State Senate on June 30, 2009.^[27]

Taxpayer-funded lobbying

See also: Illinois government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Illinois School Boards Association.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Illinois received a score of 80.2, or a B- average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 91.0, or an A- average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 67.9, or a D+ average. The chart below displays the scores of Illinois and its surrounding states.^[28]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

ABCs of School Choice

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice publishes a comprehensive guide to private school choice programs across the U.S. In its 2014 edition, the Foundation reviewed Illinois' tax credits for educational expenses. The program allows up to $500 in tax credits to be claimed for dependent students' educational expenses, whether they are attending private or public school or are being home schooled. In its review, the Foundation said the tax credit program had potential but needed some updates, such as raising the tax credit allowance.^[29] The full Friedman Foundation report can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Illinois has eight different types of school districts: Chicago Public Schools, common school districts, community college districts, community high school districts, community unit school districts, non-high school districts, special charter districts, and township high school districts. All of these school boards are elected, with the exception of Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Community College District.^[30]

School board composition

Illinois school boards generally consist of seven members elected to serve terms of four years. One exception is Chicago Public Schools, which has six members who are appointed by the mayor. Elections are held on the first Tuesday in April of each odd-numbered year. The terms of board members are staggered so there are three or four seats contested at each biennial election. If there is a vacancy, a member is appointed by the board until the next election.^[31]

Term limits

Illinois does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.^[32]

Elections

See also: Illinois school board elections, 2021

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

Path to the ballot

Illinois school board candidates must be at least 18 years old, have lived in the school district for at least one year and be a registered voter. To become a school board candidate one must also do the following:^[33]

• File a Statement of Economic Interests with the county clerk and obtain a receipt.
• File the following with the secretary of the board of education or the designated representative: a nominating petition signed by at least 50 registered voters or 10 percent of the voters, whichever is less; a Statement of Candidacy; a county clerk's receipt for the Statement of Economic Interests. They must be filed with the secretary no earlier than 78 days before the election and no later than 71 days before the election during normal office hours.
• If a candidate receives or expends $3,000 or more in an election campaign, reports must be filed with the county clerk.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Illinois state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Illinois ballot measures

As of May 2014, there were no education ballot measures in Illinois.

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Illinois education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Historical public education information in Illinois
• Illinois state budget and finances
• Illinois Department of Education
• List of school districts in Illinois
• School choice in Illinois
• Charter schools in Illinois
• Illinois
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Illinois State Board of Education
• Illinois Education Budget
• Illinois Student Assessment
• Illinois Schools Report Card
• Illinois Charter Schools
• Illinois Network of Charter Schools
• Illinois Public School Ratings by PSK12
• Illinois Public School Ratings by Great Schools

Footnotes

	v • e State of Illinois Springfield (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2022 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy